Beswick Sam Weller teapot

The Beswick Sam Weller teapot is a vintage novelty teapot based on the fictional Dickensian character Sam Weller.

Background

The teapot was produced by the British manufacturer John Beswick Ltd, as part of their range of teapots based on notable characters from Charles Dickens novels. This range was designed by the company’s celebrated chief modeller Arthur Gredington, and ran from the mid 1930s until approximately 1973. It included a wide range of characters introduced over the course of several years.

The character of Sam Weller appears in Dickens’ first novel ‘The Pickwick Papers’, published as a serial in Shilling instalments beginning in 1836. Although initially unsuccessful, the character of Weller proved hugely popular after his introduction in chapter 10 and led in large part to the book becoming a publishing phenomenon.

The Beswick Sam Weller teapot

The teapot measures 6 ¼” tall, and is a Toby jug-style depiction of the head of Sam Weller. It was one of the later additions to the series, released during the early 1950s, with the production number 1369.

How much is a Beswick Sam Weller teapot worth?

As with many Beswick novelty teapots, the range of Dickensian characters is popular with collectors despite having little rarity value.

Examples in good condition can be found on auction sites such as eBay for between $20 - $40.